"I think that everybody played it beautiful with color and I was glad that there wasn't that much black," said Sasha Charnin Morrison, fashion director at US Weekly. "The stars wore gowns that most women could try to emulate."

Jenny Feldman, senior fashion editor at MyHabit.com, also loved the sparkle of sequins.

"I was seeing a lot of sparkle and shine" on art-deco-inspired gowns such as the tight Zuhair Murad mermaid number that Jennifer Lopez wore and the Tadashi Shoji beaded gown on Spencer. "With The Artist being nominated, it was something the women were feeling."

While the beading and sequins added polish to several gowns, the evening's palette also included metallics (stunning statuesque Stacy Kiebler in Marchesa), black (Tina Fey in Carolina Herrera) and midnight blue (Rose Byrne in Vivienne Westwood) "for a sophisticated look, not like the women were wearing prom dresses," Feldman said.

The night belonged to exposed shoulders, as a number of actresses opted for strapless gowns instead of backless gowns, slit skirts and plunging necklines.

One exception was Lopez, who gave her gown a little bit of edge with a near nip slip when presenting.

Simple, elegant diamonds adorned the actresses; some skipped earrings and opted instead for dazzling cuffs, like the one Paltrow wore.

Jessica Chastain in a baroque Alexander McQueen gown wasn't Feldman's favorite. Neither was Kristin Wiig's monochromatic washed-out look. "It was too casual and too beachy." And Emma Stone took a big risk in a red gown bow-tied at the neck, which was similar to what Nicole Kidman wore in 2007 at the Academy Awards. "It didn't work for me," Feldman said.

For the most part, the stars "looked stylish, relaxed and very modern," Morrison said, adding that Paltrow's Tom Ford cap-sleeve column gown and cape was her favorite among the white gowns.

"It made you think. It was fashion. It wasn't … anything we were expecting," she said. "This is the place, on the red carpet at the Oscars, where women can turn it out - and they did."